Step aside

11/29/2018, 6 a.m.

Richmond City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto no longer lives in the district that he represents.

He has acknowledged that he moved out of the 5th District in July into a house on West Franklin Street in the city’s 1st District with his pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter, saying he needed larger accommodations for a growing family.

While Mr. Agelasto wants to remain in office for the next two years to finish his term, we believe that he needs to step down.

The Code of Virginia says that to hold elective office, the person must be qualified to vote for that office.

If Mr. Agelasto no longer lives in the district, he cannot vote in the district and hold that office.

Yes, he has done a good job in representing the people and neighborhood concerns in the 5th District that includes Randolph, Maymont and Carytown north of the James River and Swansboro and Woodland Heights in South Side.

But as President Trump irritatingly reminds us with his actions almost daily, no one should be above the law.

That also applies in this situation to Mr. Agelasto.

Perhaps Mr. Agelasto and his wife can find a suitably larger abode within the 5th District so he can retain the level of commitment and service that residents of the district have come to expect.

We understand that with a second child on the way, it may be hard to give up the annual $25,000 salary that comes with the job.

But for the sake of ethics and his good name and reputation, and out of respect for the residents of the 5th District, Mr. Agelasto needs to step aside. Let someone else be seated on City Council who understands and shares the concerns of the district’s residents because he or she actually lives there and is not simply a landlord.